


Cruel Summer

by tasteofshapes



Series: Gold As the Light [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Courtship, Didn't Know They Were Dating, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance, and then at how sneaky renji is, basically this is one whole fic about byakuya being disbelieving, byakuya being disbelieving, mostly at how invested he is in the outcome of this arm wrestle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 17:23:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21212297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tasteofshapes/pseuds/tasteofshapes
Summary: It catches Byakuya completely off guard when next Friday rolls around and it happens once more. He just stares frostily when the head servant informs him quietly that Lady Rukia has requested that an extra place be set at the dinner table -again.“Your instructions, my lord?”Poison the brat, is what he wants to say, but doesn’t.Alternatively: how the Friday night dinners began.





	Cruel Summer

**Author's Note:**

> @justletmebeokay prompted "Ichiruki, getting caught". 
> 
> And I realised that before I could write a sequel to Visible World, I had to do a missing scene to explain some things from Byakuya's perspective, so this was a perfect chance to get this in.

So the thing is, Byakuya’s suspicions that Ichigo and Rukia are secretly dating don’t come from nowhere. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t spend all his time wandering around investigating rumours and suspecting the worst in people - he has better things to do, like try and catch the thief that’s been stealing the estate’s kois (and it’s been frustrating him to no end that this thievery has been going on for _years_ and he still has yet to catch sight of the thief in question). 

He knows they’re close, and he knows the rumours circulating around them, but above all, he believes Rukia when she says that there’s nothing going on between them. If there’s one thing that he has learnt from the whole Soul Society mess, it’s to never make her feel like she can’t count on him. It’s a promise that he made to himself, and he doesn’t intend to break it, or to let her down again.

So when Rukia comes to him hesitantly one day, asking if she could invite Ichigo along for their weekly dinner, he restrains himself from telling her that that would only invite more unsavory gossip about them.

“Hmm,” is all he can say at first. His lips are pressed thin with the effort of trying not to frown. 

“We thought it would be nice if we could all catch up,” she says, and she sounds so uncertain that he involuntarily softens. 

“Well, it has been a while,” Byakuya says. “I shall inform the servants to have an extra place set. And if Renji’s free, maybe he can join us as well.”

“Oh.” She gives him a grateful smile, surprised that he gives in so easily. “Thank you, nii-sama.”

  


* * *

  


Renji’s not free. It’s Friday night, and like any single guy, he has made plans to go out drinking with his old buddies from the Eleventh Division. Byakuya _knows_ this, because even though they don’t talk about their personal lives or what they get up to over the weekend, this has been Renji’s routine for a couple of months now.

Byakuya just ignores all that as a minor inconvenience and sweeps back into the office in a bad mood, startling Renji when he orders him to dress appropriately for dinner at the Kuchiki Manor.

“Er, Taichou? Did you mean tonight? Or like, next Friday?” Renji’s confused and more than a little unhappy, because Ikkaku had talked up this new drinking place on the outskirts of Rukongai where the sake was supposed to be dirt cheap and the fighting was aplenty, and save for Yachiru, almost the entire Eleventh was going. 

(That had not been an easy arrangement to make. Yachiru was **not happy** at being left out, and threw several temper tantrums that Yumichika had been hard pressed to handle. It was only after Kenpachi finally bribed her with a trip to one of the Living World’s toy stores that she was finally mollified. Of course, it went without saying that that was completely against the rules, but no one in the Eleventh ever played by the rules, much less knew what the rules were, so that was moot anyway.)

“Tonight,” Byakuya says evenly, and Renji’s face falls, but he doesn’t protest because he knows an order when he hears one. Even though it really would be stretching it to call _this_ an order.

“Right,” Renji says, resigned. 

  


* * *

  


Dinner goes surprisingly well. 

Despite being annoyed by the sight of Ichigo permanently glued to his sister’s side, Byakuya does not make any cutting remarks. Renji and Ichigo take little jabs at each other in good fun, and halfway through the meal, Byakuya unwinds enough to order the servants to bring out the sake. Renji perks up at that, and the mood lightens considerably.

The conversation flows a lot more freely with each passing round of sake being poured, and to his surprise, Byakuya actually ends up enjoying their company. Renji regales them with stories of some of the stupid things that he caught some of the new officers doing, although he refuses to name names because _we were all dumb once, Taichou, I don’t want ya to hold it against them_.

And Byakuya’s in such a good mood that he doesn’t bother to point out that it would be easy enough for him to find out who these idiots are and have them transferred out of his Division. All in all it’s a nice evening that ends on a pleasant note, and he even thanks the two interlopers for coming (never mind that one of them was actually there as _his_ guest) and says that they should all do it again sometime. He goes to bed satisfied that he’s done an admirable job of being a good older brother, and doesn’t think any more of it.

So it catches him completely off guard when next Friday rolls around and it happens once more. He just stares frostily when the head servant informs him quietly that Lady Rukia has requested that an extra place be set at the dinner table - _again_.

“Your instructions, my lord?”

_Poison the brat_, is what he wants to say, but doesn’t. When he said last week that they should do it again, he meant it as a social nicety, not because he actually wanted their company! 

“Fine,” he says instead, and the servant bows and leaves to make the necessary preparations.

Byakuya would scowl, but that invites wrinkles, so he refrains, and just sends dark, uncharitable thoughts towards Ichigo’s way. After a moment’s thought, he calls the servant back, and tells him to add one more seat, then sends a note off to Renji, requesting that he join them for dinner.

Renji turns up, looking resigned again. Byakuya feels a twinge of guilt at ruining his lieutenant's plans yet again, and orders the servants to break out the Kuchiki special sake before dinner even begins.

That puts Renji in a far better mood, and even Rukia is slightly taken aback when she tastes the sake and recognises the quality. Ichigo is glued to her side as usual, relaxed and loose-limbed, and Byakuya can’t find it in himself to dislike him too much when Rukia takes such obvious pleasure in his company. 

They’re animated tonight, the two of them, and Byakuya listens as they take it in turns to tell a story about accidentally purifying a Hollow that Urahara had been tracking for months.

“It had fascinating powers”, Rukia says.

“Or so Urahara says.” Ichigo chimes in, “We wouldn’t know, we dispatched it pretty quick. Urahara was _not_ happy.” 

“Oooh, the telling off that Ichigo got after that! Kurosaki-san,” Rukia begins to imitate Urahara, “while we appreciate your brawns-”

“-We would also-”

“You gotta do the voice, Ichigo.”

Ichigo puts on an odd, high-pitched voice that in no way resembles Urahara whatsoever: “we would also appreciate if you would use your brains once in a while! That was a unique specimen! Don’t just come in swinging your sword willy-nilly!”

Renji snorts. “Your impressions are terrible. And who says willy-nilly in this day and age?”

“Urahara, when he’s mad.” Ichigo says, and exchanges a knowing smile with Rukia. 

That doesn’t go unnoticed by Byakuya, who also doesn’t miss the way their hands brush and linger against each other when she refills and hands Ichigo his cup of sake. Dinner starts, and Byakuya makes sure that the servants keep the sake flowing, and when the meal ends an hour later the three of them are smashed. Byakuya had been far more restrained, sipping composedly at his sake, so he just leans back and watches while Renji and Ichigo argue about whether you can eat a spoonful of cinnamon in one minute without drinking any water.

This goes on for a while, and it’s when the two of them start to slur their words and their arguments begin to descend into complete nonsense that Rukia slams her cup on the table and declares that the argument should be settled the Academy way - with an arm wrestle.

“A’rite, a’rite,” Renji says, and rolls up his sleeve immediately. Byakuya finds himself unexpectedly admiring his lieutenant’s arm, all coiled muscles under tanned skin, the stark black lines of his tattoo wrapping itself around his upper arm.

Ichigo snorts and rolls up _his_ sleeve, and Byakuya is appalled to find _Rukia_ eyeing Ichigo appreciatively, her eyes glazing over a little. Ichigo is leaner but equally muscular, and Byakuya is surprised when he realises that he’s extremely interested in the outcome of this match.

They trash talk each other while they grunt and struggle, all homoerotic stuff like _I’m gonna pound you into the ground, Kurosaki_, and _yeah, I’m still waiting for you to make your move, Abarai_, and Byakuya stares fixedly at a point on Renji’s arm and tries to ignore how enthusiastically Rukia cheers them on. Secretly, he’s dismayed to find himself wanting to join in with the cheering.

And then Renji lets out this little sound that does something funny to Byakuya’s insides, and before he knows it he’s reaching over and covering Renji’s hand with his own and pushing Ichigo’s down. Both of them turn to stare at him. 

“I had ‘em, Taichou,” Renji says, just as Ichigo says “oie, that’s cheating!”

“Of course you did,” Byakuya tells Renji, outwardly calm and unruffled, “but it’s getting late.”

“Ah, right,” Renji says. The three of them blink stupidly at Byakuya for a moment, and then Renji abruptly staggers to his feet. “Tank - thanks for dinner.”

“We’ll show you out,” Rukia says, and gets up unsteadily too. Byakuya doesn’t miss Ichigo’s hand at her elbow, steadying her, and the way she smiles back at him.

“See ya, Taichou,” Renji says, and that’s how Byakuya knows that Renji is _really_ drunk. He would never allow himself to be this informal with Byakuya otherwise. 

“Good night, nii-sama,” Rukia says, and Ichigo chimes in with a, “yeah, thanks for the delicious meal.” They’re both bright-eyed, faces flushed from the alcohol. She’s leaning into Ichigo’s side, and he’s got a hand draped around her shoulder, casually possessive. Byakuya’s beginning to suspect that Rukia hasn’t been completely honest about them not dating, but it isn’t his place to interfere.

Byakuya nods, and the three of them leave noisily, talking too loud and stumbling into things. He gets up too, surprised to find that he’s slightly off-balance, and pauses for a moment before he collects himself and sweeps out.

  


* * *

  


The next Friday, the same thing happens again. 

Renji tells Byakuya he’ll see him for dinner tonight - before the invitation (order, they both know it’s an order) even comes - and Byakuya just nods. The head servant comes with the same request, apologetically asking for instructions again, and Byakuya tells him to permanently add in two more seats for their Friday night dinners for the next century, and to start stocking up on sake, the good kind. 

And so this goes on for a while. Byakuya isn’t one who usually embraces change, but he enjoys how the Friday night dinners have gotten a less formal, and a lot more fun. He’s forgotten how this feels, to be with people and to actually enjoy their company. He’s even gotten used to how close Rukia and Ichigo are, and learnt to ignore their overt physical intimacy; the way they have their own little in-jokes; the way they finish each other’s sentences.

Then one night, everything changes. It’s after one of their usual Friday dinners and he’s out on the wooden balcony outside his rooms, enjoying the cool night breeze, when he hears soft laughter coming from the gardens. He moves back into the shadow of the building and goes still as a statute, dampening his reiatsu by slow increments until it’s fully hidden.

Overheard, the clouds slowly part, and he sees Rukia and Ichigo walking hand in hand through the gardens, talking quietly. Even from where he stands on the second storey, he can see the smile on her face; how obviously happy she is. Ichigo’s murmuring something to her, too low to catch, and Byakuya’s breath hitches when they stop walking and Ichigo pulls her towards him.

Internally, Byakuya’s screaming _get your filthy hands off my sister_, but he doesn’t move an inch as Ichigo wraps one arm around her back, and slides the other hand under her chin to lift her face to his. Their lips meet in a kiss, and Byakuya swears that he will kill Ichigo on the spot where he stands if Ichigo’s hands start to wander, but Ichigo’s a gentleman, and it doesn’t go any further than that.

Rukia’s making little soft noises as one of Ichigo’s hands finds its way into her hair, and Byakuya _absolutely does not want to be here_ _for this_ but there’s no way he can move or flash step away without drawing attention to himself. Finally, _finally_, after what feels like an eternity, they break apart. 

Ichigo keeps his arm wrapped around her as they continue their slow walk through the gardens back to Rukia’s rooms, and not for the first time, Byakuya’s glad that her rooms are located in the next building over. 

He waits until they pass, and then goes back to his room where Renji is waiting for him, two cups of sake arranged on the table. He must not have been as composed as he thought he was, because Renji takes one look at him and immediately asks if something’s wrong. 

“No. I just saw something I rather I didn’t.”

Renji winces in sympathy. “Ichigo and Rukia huh? How bad was it?” He subtly pushes the cup of sake across the table, which Byakuya ignores in favour of staring at Renji in amazement. 

“You knew? Did Rukia tell you?”

“No, but it’s obvious, isn’t it? They’ve always been close.”

“What, close enough to go on moonlit strolls and make out in plain sight where any member of the household staff can see them?”

Renji chokes on his own sake. “To be fair, Taichou,” he says once the coughing fit passes, “I’m pretty that they’ve only just started... whatever it is they’re in.” He shrugs at Byakuya’s look of incredulity, and says thoughtfully, “I imagine that wouldn’t stop you from harassing Ichigo though. I’m sure you have some formal ceremonies planned that you intend to torture him with.”

Byakuya narrows his eyes as he looks at Renji, who adopts a look of pure innocence as he sips at his cup.

“Formal ceremonies,” he mutters, and the beginning of an idea begins to coalesce in his mind.

“I’m sure there are plenty,” Renji says unremorsefully, “befitting a lady of Rukia’s status that Ichigo has absolutely no idea about, and would make a complete ass of himself in.”

Byakuya stares at Renji. “Sometimes, you scare me,” he tells Renji. “And other times, I remember exactly why I picked you to be my lieutenant.” 

“Proud to be of service,” Renji says, but he’s blushing, and _hmm_. That’s new. Or maybe it’s always been there, and Byakuya’s only seeing it now. 

Byakuya doesn’t smile exactly, but something in his expression softens, and he picks up his cup of sake and together, they drink. 


End file.
